Gus lifted his computer bag on his shoulder and pulled out his key as he opened the door to the building.  He loved living at the loft; his earliest memories of visiting his Dad and Justin were happy ones and he always associated the Loft with good times. When he graduated from college, his dad had given him the loft as a present.  He was speechless, but then he realized that his father was always generous, especially with those he considered family.

Family-  his was huge, large my anyone's standards, especially since he only had one sibling, J.R.  He counted Grandma Debbie and Carl, Grandma Jen and Tucker, Molly and her husband Peter and their daughter, Kaylee,  Uncle Michael and Uncle Ben, Hunter, Uncle Ted and Uncle Blake, Uncle Emmett and Uncle Drew, Dad and Justin, J.R. Mom and Momma and their families- although he didn't see them very often.  Now he had another person to add to the mix, Sam.

 He'd met Sam when they were juniors in high school. He'd been attracted to the tall, lanky, brunet  since Sam was easy going, laughed at the same things that Gus did and wasn't pretentious.  Sam was an athlete, muscular and strong and Gus liked the way he handled himself with his team mates and in the classroom.  They had been friends for most of the school year and when they started experimenting sexually, they both realized that their friendship could turn into something more.  When Sam told his parents that he was gay and they threw him out, Gus had driven to his home, not wanting him to fend for himself on the streets of Pittsburgh. In his haste, Gus wrapped Brian's car around a tree and Justin and his Dad had to cut their vacation short to ensure he was okay.  He stayed with Gus and Brian and Justin for several weeks until things settled down at his home. 

They continued to experiment, but when Gus went to work at the diner to pay for the repairs to his Dad's car, he had little free time to see Sam.  Sam was working hard for a baseball scholarship and also had a part time job.  They remained friends but drifted apart after graduation. 

Sam had come back into his life five years later when he'd been hired by Cynthia to work at Kinnetik.   Sam had been there for a week and he remembered the day with clarity, even though it was six months ago.  Both men were pleasantly surprised at the ease that they picked up their friendship and how quickly it became a partnership.  Sam had told Gus the story so many times, he had it memorized himself.

Sam had walked into Kinnetik on his first day of work, excited and scared at the same time.  He was thrilled to have landed his choice of jobs right out of University and was excited to be back in Pittsburgh., but he was scared that he wouldn't be good enough for the prestigious agency. He assured himself that he would not have been hired unless he met their standards.

His first day on the job, he was assigned a mentor, Paul, who worked in the same department.  Paul had been a great support and showed him around those first few days.  He'd introduced Sam to many employees and took him to several eateries for lunch the in the days that followed.  It was the end of his first week and he was starting to adjust to the new position.

"Let's go to the Liberty Diner for lunch today. You've made it through your first week and that calls for a celebration," Paul suggested at break time.

"The Liberty Diner.  Wow.  I used to go there when I was in high school.  There was this waitress who wore these crazy T-shirts with wild sayings on them.  She was a character." Sam smiled as he remembered.

"That's Debbie and she's still there, wearing the crazy T-shirts."

"That would be fun.  Can we get in and out of there in an hour?  I don't want to get in trouble."

"Sure. They're fast and we can walk in under two minutes.  The big boss might even be there.  On Fridays he's often seen with his friends eating lunch at the diner."

"Is that a good idea?  I mean going to eat where the boss is?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"It won't be a problem.  Brian only yells at you if you don't do your job.  He's a tough boss but one of the fairest of all the bosses I've had."

"I guess that would be okay for lunch."

"I'll ask Gus to join us.  He loves the diner; said it brings back childhood memories."

As lunchtime approached, Gus made his way to the Graphics department, knocking on the door to announce his arrival.

Paul turned around and smiled, waving him inside.  "Gus, I'd like you to meet, Sam.  He's our newest employee."

Sam turned around and saw Gus, almost dropping the papers he held in his hand. "Gus!! Is that really you?"

"Sam.  I can't believe you work here.  How are you?  Where are you living?  How..."

"I guess you two have met."  Paul watched the exchange between the two men. 

Sam walked over to Gus to shake his hand and Gus pulled him into a big hug which Sam returned.

"You're coming to lunch with us.  You're the Gus that works here?"

"Yep.  That's me.  Dad said he'd be at the diner today.  I'll reintroduce you.  Not that dad would probably ever forget your first meeting.  It's not every day that I wrap his precious car around a tree."

"Paul said that the diner is popular and that our boss will probably be there too."

Gus laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"My dad is your boss.  He owns Kinnetik."

"But Brian Kinney owns Kinnetik and your name is Gus Marcus-Peterson. I'm really confused."

"Oh, that's simple.  I have my moms'  last names but dad provided the jizz for me."

Paul clicked save on the program he was working on and turned to the two men. "Come on, you two.  We have to be back here by 1:15 to start working on the Icon presentation.  You two can reminisce at the diner." He shut  the light as he walked out the door, followed by Gus and Sam. 

Walking to the diner, the three men talked about working for Kinnetik and the current projects they were assigned.

"I just can't believe that Brian Kinney is your dad and that I'm working for him.  That is just too weird for words.  I never could get over how he let me stay at your house for a few weeks until things calmed down at my house."

"Dad has a soft spot for people with jerk parents.  He brought Justin home to live with him when his parents kicked him out for being a homosexual.  Since I brought you there, he wanted to support me and you.  I just had to pay for the repairs to the Corvette.  Let me tell you, those weren't cheap.  I worked at the diner until I went to college to pay for that vehicle."

"And here I thought you worked at the diner for extra money." The men had arrived at the diner and Paul opened the door for them.

"There's John and Sean. I'll go sit with them so you two can catch up."

Sam and Gus looked at each other and smiled, simultaneously saying, "Thanks."

They found a table toward the back and both picked up the menus, perusing them for food that appealed to their mood. 

Debbie came to the table to take their orders.  "Gus, who's your friend here.  He's a cutie. You look familiar but I can't place you."

"Debbie, this is Sam.  He lived with us for a few weeks when I was in high school.  You remember when I wrapped the car around a tree?" he stated mischievously.

"Sam.  Of course I remember.  So you two hooked up again.  How sweet." Debbie popped her gum and flipped a new page on her order pad.  "So, what'll it be, boys?"

Gus raised his eyebrows and smirked, looking just like his dad.  "I'll have the cheeseburger and fries and a glass of milk."

"You look just like your dad when you do that.  No one can ever say you're not a Kinney.  And for you Sam?"

"I'll have the same.  It sounds good."

"Coming right up."

"How do you like Kinnetik?  Is it weird working for your Dad?  I mean, does he expect more from you than other employees?" Sam picked up the napkin and folded it several times as he nervously asked.

"It's weird.  I grew up going to Kinnetik.  My mom, Lindsay and Dad are good friends.  She's my biological mom.  Mom would always bring me by Kinnetik when I was really little and I‘d race into Dad's office.  He'd always hug me, fluff my hair and say "Hi Sonny boy."  Then if he had someone in there, he'd walk me back out and then we'd go home.  If he didn't have anyone in there, he let me sit in his chair and type on his computer for a few minutes and then I'd go home.  When I got a little older, I knew I had to ask Cynthia before I ran into the office.  Kinnetik was a second home to me.  Dad was there.  I just assumed that I would work there when I graduated and when I asked Dad about working for him, he gave me the biggest smile, almost rivaled Justin's Sunshine smile, and said he'd like nothing better."

"Speaking of parents, how are yours?" Gus asked tentatively as he moved his milk glass in circles.

"They came around pretty fast.  I think Justin might have talked to them, but after staying at your house for a few weeks, I went home and things were better.  During college, I even took a few guys home for a weekend or holiday.  My mom was cool about it, but I could tell dad was still a little freaked out.  He realized that I wasn't going to change and that if he wanted to still have me in his life, he better accept who I was."

"That's great.  It would be a really shitty deal if they didn't. Looks like our food is here.  We better eat up.  I may be Dad's son, but I still have to produce my fair share."

Sam tasted his cheeseburger.  "You're right. This is excellent."

Gus tried his fries first and shook his head in agreement.  They ate in silence, knowing that they needed to get back to work.  After Gus finished his fries and ate half his burger, he asked," What you doing tonight?"

"Nothing special."

"I can change that."

‘Okay.  I'll meet you in the lobby at 6:00."

And that had been six months ago.  They had spent most nights together and almost every weekend.  The friendship that had started in high school had blossomed into a real relationship.  Gus was thrilled to be with someone who had similar interests to him and who understood his drive to do well at work while Sam was happy to reignite his teenage friendship; he was ecstatic that it had turned into something much more.

They had spent Thanksgiving  with Gus' family since Sam's family had gone out of town for the week, and he didn't have enough vacation time to join them.  It was two weeks before Christmas and they had agreed to meet at Woody's after work.  Sam got there first and ordered a beer for both of them.  Gus arrived half an hour later, but gave Sam an apologetic kiss that more than made up for his tardiness. 

"Sorry.  I got caught up in a meeting and then had to finish a project before I could leave."

"No worries.  I hear your boss can be a real task master," Sam teased, tongue in cheek.  "I ordered you a beer.  Hopefully, it's not too warm."

Gus took a draw of the brew and smiled.  "Fine.  Just fine.  I talked to mom today and she wants us to come to her place for a small breakfast before the big feast at Dad's.  I think about 9:30 would be a good time."

Sam put his beer down and looked at Gus strangely.  "What are you talking about? "

"Christmas."

"Christmas.  I didn't know that we were doing anything.  We hadn't talked about it."

"Sure we did.  I asked if there was anything that your family did and you said no.  I told you that my family does a big spread for the holiday so we would go there."

Sam took several deep breaths before answering Gus.  " I didn't go with my family on Thanksgiving, but I want to be with them on Christmas. We spent Thanksgiving with your family."

Gus listened but the entire time, he was trying to figure this dilemma out.  "Okay.  What time is your family's dinner?  We usually have dinner about 3:00 p.m. So maybe we could hit both."

"That's when we have dinner."

"Could you come late?" Gus suggested.

"Why should I come late?   My family is just as important as yours."

Gus shook his head in agreement. "But Christmas is Justin's favorite holiday and he'll be really disappointed if I don't come."

"I see.  I guess Justin is more important than me.  I don't care what you do, but I have a headache and I'm going home. " Sam abruptly threw some money on the table and walked out of the bar.

Sitting at the table, Gus watched as his friend and lover walked out on him for the first time.  The knot in his stomach tightened and he didn't enjoy the feeling.  He finished his drink and drove back to the Loft, where he smoked a few joints and watched some TV before falling asleep at 11:00. 

As he drove to work the next day, he hoped to talk to Sam again about the holiday, but he was accosted by his assistant the minute he walked in the door, and didn't have a free minute until  mid- afternoon. 
When he realized he missed lunch, he walked down to the Graphics Department, hoping to find Sam and say hello.  When he walked into the department, Sam was engrossed in a project with Paul and Sean and two other women that he didn't recognize; therefore he didn't interrupt them.  He left a short note on Sam's desk, saying he was going to Woody's after work and hoped he would meet him there.

Gus arrived at 6:00 and waited until 7:30, but Sam did not show up to Woody's and didn't call or text him.  Gus had drunk three beers by this time and called a cab to take him home, where he drank an additional two beers and  fell asleep on the couch.  He woke with a slight hang over, cursing his stupidity and dragged himself into the shower to get cleaned up.  Downing several cups of coffee before he left, he managed to get to work on time, but was still dragging.  Again he was met by his assistant before he could even grab another cup of coffee, and he worked diligently until just before lunch. This time, he hoped that he would find Sam. He walked quickly to the Graphic's department.  Looking in the office, he spotted him and walked in, touching him gently on the shoulder to alert him to his presence.

Sam startled a little at the unexpected touch, but turned around and saw Gus.  "What are you doing here?"

"I haven't seen you in days and I wanted to go to lunch." Gus smiled tentatively, hoping that Sam would agree.

"I'm busy," Sam informed him and turned back to his project.

Gus heard the message loud and clear.  He was upset and didn't know what to do.  He walked to Brian's office, looking toward Cynthia before he walked in.

Cynthia gave him a nod showing Brian was available, and Gus walked in the door, sitting down on the white couch in the office.  Brian was on the phone, but once he saw Gus, he finished the call quickly.
"Hey Sonny Boy, you look like someone took away your favorite toy. "  Brian sat in the chair in front of his desk to be closer to Gus.

"Dad.  I don't know what to do.  I need your help."

"I'll try my best.  Why don't you tell me what the problem is first.  It's hard to fix something if I don't know what I'm fixing,' he said, tongue in cheek.

Gus gave a half smile at his Dad's usual sardonic wit.  "It's Sam.  I screwed up.  I thought he didn't do anything for Christmas and I assumed he would spend it with me. Turns out his family has a celebration and he doesn't want to miss it.  It's at the same time as the one at Britin and I don't want to miss it either, but I don't want to miss being with him."

"Ahhhh,' Brian shook his head in understanding. 

"So you have a solution," Gus asked hopefully.

"No.  That problem has been around for time in memoriam."

"What am I going to do?  He's really mad at me, hasn't talked to me in two days."

"You've got to compromise. "

"You and Justin are lucky.  You don't have to compromise since you never see your family," Gus stated as he thought of his Dad's statement.

Brian laughed and shook his head as he stood up to walk to the bar.  He poured himself some water and gave Gus a glass as well. 

"What's so funny?"

"Your statement.  Justin and I compromise a lot; you just don't see it.  We discuss things in private.  That's the way of a partnership.  Quid pro quo."

"You compromise.  But you don't have to compromise on the holidays.  It's different."

Brian was quiet for a minute, thinking about how much he wanted to share.  "Gus.  Justin loves to visit with Jennifer and Molly but as much as I like them, I'm not a real family person.  He would see them every week, but he knows that's too much for me, so he goes to lunch with them and sometimes sees them at night when I'm entertaining a client.  It's a compromise."

"But that's Justin."

"You're a tough one Sonny boy.  If it were up to Justin, we would celebrate every holiday with a huge party at Britin--New Year's, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas--I mean every holiday.  He loves to entertain and I hate it.  I allow him to have a small gathering at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that's it.  I let Debbie do all the rest.  In fact, if it were up to me, I wouldn't attend Debbie's parties either, but Justin insists he wants to be with family.  We compromise. It's what couples do."

"I didn't know that, Dad. Thanks for sharing with me.  But it still doesn't solve my problem.  What am I going to do about Sam?"

"What would make you most happy?"  Brian got up and refilled their water glasses with fresh ice.

"I don't know.  I never thought about it."

"Okay.  Answer the opposite question.  What would make you the most unhappy?"

"That's easy.  I would hate not being with Sam."

"There's your answer.  You need to figure out a compromise that would allow you to be with Sam."

"Dad.  I love you.  Thanks for talking to me."

"You're welcome.  Now get back to work.  You may be my son, but you're still a Kinnetik employee and break time is officially over.  Why don't you come over for dinner tonight or tomorrow?  Bring Sam.  Justin needs an excuse to cook dinner.  We haven't seen a lot of you lately."

"Will do, Dad."  Gus started to leave but turned around and asked very sincerely, albeit a little tongue in check, " Boss, can I extend my break a little longer to go talk to Sam and to offer a compromise?  I promise to finish the work for the Baskin Robbins campaign before I leave tonight."

Brian shook his head.  "I'll give you 20 minutes but that campaign better be on my desk before you leave, Gus Marcus-Peterson."

"Yes Sir." Gus saluted Brian and closed the door behind him.

Gus walked quickly to the Graphics Department, determined not to take "no" for an answer.  He waved to Paul as he walked in and went straight to Sam's desk.  He leaned over the desk and softly said, "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to hurt you.  Can we go outside and talk for a few minutes? I promise to be quick."

Sam smiled and looked at Paul for confirmation.  Paul realized that he would have a more productive employee if he allowed him to take a quick break.  He also knew Gus wouldn't abuse the time, therefore he nodded his okay.

Sam and Gus walked down to the break room and since it was 3:00, there wasn't anyone in sight.  They sat at the table and Gus reached for Sam's hand.  Sam allowed him to hold it.

"I really want to be with you for the holidays.  This is our first Christmas together and I hope the start of many more celebrations.  I know you want to be with your family for the holiday too.  Can we compromise?"

Sam smiled at Gus and Gus felt the familiar tingling in his groin when he looked at the brunet.  "That's all I wanted --for us to be together, but I don't see how."

"What if we do breakfast with my moms and see if she'll invite Dad and Justin.  Then we could go to your parents' for Christmas dinner."

Thinking about the solution, Sam mulled over the suggestion.  "That would work really well.  You would get to see your parents and so would I.  What about the rest of the family?"

"I could always go to Debbie's after your meal.  I don't have to eat there.  The family will be there until 10:00 or 11:00 at night. That's plenty of time to visit."

"That works for me.  I love you, Gus."  Sam leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek and Gus returned the kiss. 

"Woody's tonight, 6:00?"

Gus shook his head.  "The loft.  I have ideas for celebrating the holiday season long before Christmas."
"I like the way you think.  The loft it is.  I'll meet you in the lobby at 6:00."

"I better get back to work.  I promised Dad that I'd have the Baskin Robbins campaign finished before I left."

The two men walked out of the break room, both smiling and looking forward to the holiday.

The end